Goodwill Private School Limited Takes Legal Action Against EFCC

Goodwill Private School’s legal team has issued a heartfelt petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the forceful invasion of its premises and the arrest of the school’s principal, Mrs. Olufemi-King Saidat Iyabode Abosede, and others during NECO exams.

The school demanded immediate redress and made several requests, including an unqualified letter of apology, public apologies in national newspapers and on television, removal of the defamatory inscriptions on the school premises, and substantial monetary compensation of two billion naira.

It will be recalled that on May 17, 2024, EFCC officers, accompanied by armed policemen, raided Goodwill Private School in the midst of external examinations for SS3 students. The raid caused widespread panic among students and staff, and the officers vandalized the school walls with bold inscriptions declaring the property under EFCC investigation.

The turmoil did not end there. On June 24, 2024, EFCC officers returned, arresting the school’s principal, Mrs. Olufemi-King Saidat Iyabode Abosede, during NECO exams. This second invasion prompted the school’s principal counsel, Otunba (Dr.) Benson Enikuomehin, to intervene directly at the EFCC’s Lagos office. A meeting with Mrs. Oni Deborah revealed a surprising twist: no petition had been filed against Goodwill Private School. Instead, a separate complaint involved the sale of the school’s property by FCMB to another party without proper documentation.

Read the full text of the petition below:

 

Our Ref: BE/SC/LA/GDW/EFCC-001/2024

June 28, 2024.

The Executive Chairman

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),

Corporate Headquarters,

Plot 301/302,

Institution and Research Cadastral District,

Jabi, Abuja.

Dear Sir,

INVASION OF GOODWILL PRIVATE SCHOOLSLIMITED AND HARRASMENT OF THE PROPRIETOR, PRINCIPAL, STAFF AND STUDENTS BY THE OPERATIVES OF THE EFCC IN YOUR LAGOS OFFICE.

We are solicitors to the Goodwill Private School Limited, the proprietor, the principal, the staff and students (herein after called “our clients”) on whose express instructions we address this heart touching petition to your exalted office.

The Goodwill Private School Limited located at EyitaEstate, off Sagamu Road, Ikorodu in Lagos State is one of the first private schools established in Ikorodu more than 30 years ago. Because of the high moral and educational standards, the school is revered by all and sundry as a beacon of hope in educational sector in and around Lagos State. International students have also attended the school because of the standard it exhibits.

Our brief is that on the 8th of February, 2024, your Lagos office wrote to the proprietor of the school via its letter referenced CR: 3000/EFCC/LS/TFS/TA/VOL.1/015 requesting the proprietor to appear on the 14th February, 2024 for a case of fraud in which your Commission was investigating the school. The letter was signed by ACE Michael Welkas, FWC, Zonal Commander Lagos. Copy of the letter of Invitation is attached and marked Annexure A.

The proprietor on the 14th February, 2024 as indicated in the letter of invitation honored the invitation along with one of the counsels in our chambers. The first shocker that our client and the solicitor received was that the officer who was interrogating our client, one Mr. Jonathan bluntly refused to avail our client a copy of the petition allegedly written against our client which formed the basis of the invitation. Our client was threatened and coerced to submission not to request for the alleged petition against him. He was told that his insistence in requesting for the petition will lead to his detention.

He was questioned on numerous issues bothering on the credit facilities granted to his school by the First City Monument Bank FCMB in 2013. He was told that his school had been sold by the FCMB to a 3rd party and that he must summarily vacate the school with his staff and students as urgently as possible.

Our client produced documents that show that the school and FCMB had a contractual relationship of credit facility which the school obtained from the FCMB. He told them that there was a mortgage Deedexecuted in favour of the FCMB to secure the credit facility and that same has not been called in by the FCMB. Our client gave them correspondences between FCMB and the school. Copies of the documents submitted are attached and marked Annexure B series

On the 18th of March, 2024 around 1:29 p.m the Principal Counsel of our law firm, Otunba (Dr.) Benson Enikuomehin, FCPA put a call across to one Mr. Jonathan, a staff of your Commission on his telephone number 07068132331 and spoke for about 22 minutes on the need to be cautious about the issues surrounding the school and the FCMB.

While these facts had been admitted by FCMB, and that negotiations were ongoing between the school, his proprietor on one hand and the FCMB on the other hand, officers of your Commission on the 17th of May, 2024 in a stink operation invaded the school and caused pandemonium.

We must inform you Sir that at the time this gestapo action was carried out by the operatives of the EFCC, the SS3 students were writing their external examination. The team led by one Mr. Jubril came with armed policemen who caused mayhem in the school and the serene environment. The entire school was turned into chaos as teachers and students were running helter– skelter and scampering for safety. In a menacing manner the officers then proceeded to writeVERY BOLD inscriptions on the walls of the school, urging parents, students, teachers and staff of the school to refrain from the property because it was under EFCC investigation. We attached as Annexure C series photographs of the inscription written on the school wall, the commotion caused in the school and the video recording of the event that took place on that sad day.

As if the above were not enough, officers of your Commission at the Lagos office again invaded the school on the 24th day of June, 2024 at about 12.00 o’clock in the afternoon with armed policemen to cause the arrest of the principal of the school, Mrs. Olufemi-King, Saidat Iyabode Abosede and whisked her away to your Lagos office. Again, the serene educational environment was violated by the gestapo- menacing invasion of the college by the operatives of the EFCC.

We must bring to your notice sir, that the students of the college were again writing there NECO exams when this power show game was carried out by the officers of your Commission. At this point, the principal counsel of our law firm had to intervene in the matter by going to your Lagos office and requesting for the reason for the constant invasion and attack of the college.

At the meeting held with one Mrs. Oni Deborah in your Lagos office on the 25th of June, 2024, it was found out that no petition whatsoever was written against our clients: that was a woman wrote petition to EFCC against FCMB for selling our clients’ property to her without handing over the documents of transfer and the property itself. Our clients were not privy to this sale as there were still negotiations with FCMB on how to sort out the 30-million-naira loan and the interests that had accrued thereon.

We wish to inform you sir that FCMB had not written to our client to call in the money for which the bank as the mortgagee will exercise the power to sell. This fact was acknowledged by the bank in the meeting held with your officer, Mrs. Oni Deborah on the 25th of June, 2024 at your Lagos office.

The above scenario showed that your officers exceeded the power conferred on them in coming to harass, intimidate and subjugate our clients by their unilateral power of “proscribing” the school. It must be noted that Goodwill Private School is a going concern. The school is not defunct. The school did not, and have never had any issue whatsoever with the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC). There were no reasonable causes for officers of your Commission to invade, cause the arrest of the principal in the glare of the students, parents and the community. What is more, FCMB that our clients have contractual relationship with DID NOT PETITION EFCC AGAINST OUR CLIENTS! Whose interest was the EFCC protecting?

Sir, it is common knowledge that in Lagos State,private schools are in serious competitions amongst themselves. Any negative report about any school will give the parents the latitude to seek for other schoolsfor their children and words. The inscription on the school premises to wit: RESTRAIN ORDER EFCC, KEEP OFF, LAG/15A/17414/2023 is meant to jeopardize, harm, annoy and de–market Goodwill Private School Limited. It is an action taken in utmost bad faith with the intention to wipe off, extinguish and portray the school as an institution that parents must not send their children and words.

We consider this action to be inhuman, insensitive and highly provocative of the institution of learning such as that of our clients.

To this end we demand the following as immediate measures to mitigate the litigation that our client will embark upon against your Commission:

We do hope that your Commission will address this matter very timeously within the next seven (7) days failure upon which our client will embark on all legal means to enforce their right against your Commission.

We are of the strong view that the voice of reason should prevail as against the exhibition of naked power your Commission has exhibited thus far.

Kindly receive the assurances of the highest regards of our law firm.

Yours faithfully,

FOR: BENSON ENIKUOMEHIN & CO

OTUNBA (DR.) BENSON ENIKUOMEHIN, FCPA

Principal Counsel

Cc: The Media Houses